Contents
- Pray without Ceasing
- Like a Broken Record, Read the Text Over & Over Again
- Study Like It’s Finals Week
- Brainstorm – All Ideas Are “Good” Ideas
- Focus Like a Laser
- Time to Write
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to how to write a sermon. Everyone has their own method, but there are definitely certain steps that a lot of pastors commonly use that may help as you develop a system that works best for you when it comes to writing a sermon. Here are 6 tips to help you write a sermon.
1. Pray without Ceasing
This is not a one and done item on your to-do list; this is an ongoing task that keeps you communicating with the God of the universe. Why in the world would we not do this? It’s not even the right mindset to think that asking God for guidance is enough. When we write sermons, we need them to be saturated with God and with the glory of Jesus. Our minds and hearts need to be saturated with the Godhead. Pray throughout this entire process. Charles Spurgeon would even repeat the phrase, “I believe in the Holy Spirit” with every step he took as he ascended to the pulpit. So follow Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and pray without ceasing.
2. Like a Broken Record, Read the Text Over & Over Again
Don’t stop poring over the text as you lead up to preparing your sermons. Have you heard those words in Hebrews lately that says the Word of God is living and active? Do you remember the words Paul spoke to Timothy that ALL of Scripture is God-breathed and is useful? You need the living Word of God more than you need the culture. Yes, relevance and application is key, but do not focus so much on relating and being hip and cool that you miss the living, active Word of God.
3. Study Like It’s Finals Week
You have many options of what you can study as it relates to your sermon text, so you have to be disciplined when deciding what you are going to take the time to study. Once you read the text over and over like a broken record, it’s time to dig in and study the passage. When it comes to asking how to write a sermon, I would recommend the following as key tools to use in your study for every sermon you prepare:
– Commentaries like the ones found on BibleStudyTools.com
– Language Tools
– Research how other respected pastors have preached on the same passage at SermonSearch.com
All three of these have one thing in common: they are tools. You don’t preach from commentaries. You don’t preach from the language tools. And you don’t preach from other people’s sermons. You use them all as resources to help you write your own sermon that is appropriate to your congregation.
4. Brainstorm – All Ideas Are “Good” Ideas
This is the time to write down all your thoughts for your sermon. No direction you take is wrong, and this isn’t a draft of your sermon. Just get your thoughts down on paper. Brainstorm the passage. Where is Christ revealed? How is Christ glorified in this passage? How does the passage point to an all-glorious God?
5. Focus Like a Laser
Now that you have all your thoughts out (and you’re still praying, remember?), it’s time to laser in on what you feel God wants to say through you. Come up with your thesis statement that will help shape and guide the rest of your sermon prep. Remember, if you can’t say the point of your message in a single sentence, you may be trying to preach on too much content. If you wanted to preach on Matthew 4, I don’t quite know how you could boil that chapter down to a single sentence because it’s a complex passage of scripture. But, however you choose to preach on a passage, be a laser and focus in.
6. Time To Write
Now that you have your thoughts on paper and you’ve focused in on the main point of the sermon, it’s time to write. I don’t recommend even starting with the introduction. Figure out meaning of the text, and then determine the points you want to make based on what the text is saying. Incorporate practical application steps for your congregation, and find ways to illustrate the points. Once the body is complete, then go back and work on the intro and the conclusion.
When it comes to figuring out how to write a sermon, these steps are not by any means a formula, but they form a starting ground to build on. Above all, enjoy God in this process. Enjoy getting to know Him and His Word on a much deeper level. So, what are you waiting for? Get to writing!
